Athlete of the Week – No. 5

Hastings' Gabe Wickham earns his second national weekly honor of season

February 08, 2012

By Jake Knabel, NAIA Communications & Sports Information Intern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kennedy Kithuka of Wayland Baptist (Texas) has been named the NAIA National Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week and Gabe Wickham of Hastings (Neb.) has been tabbed as the NAIA National Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week, the national office announced Wednesday. Kithuka and Wickham were selected based on their performances from Jan. 30 – Feb. 5. The weekly honor marks the second this season for Wickham, who was also awarded on Jan. 25.

Kithuka, a NAIA indoor All-American in each of the last two seasons, placed first in a field of 21 runners in the 5,000-meter run at the Texas Tech Open on Feb. 4. The junior from Nairobi, Kenya, clocked a time of 13:59.73 – nearly a full minute better than the runner up. That performance gave Kithuka the top time in the NAIA this season in the 5,000 meters, ahead of Concordia’s (Ore.) Matthew Clowes (14:08.52). Kithuka also possesses the top times in the mile run (4:04.54) and the 3,000-meter run (8:03.24).

Wickham, a senior from Phillipsburg, Kan., continued his outstanding season with a first-place finish in the weight throw at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at the University of Nebraska held Feb. 3 – 4. Wickham’s toss of 66 – 9 ¼ trumped a field that included competitors from several NCAA Division I schools. He currently holds the top weight throw mark in the NAIA this season at 69 – 5 ¼.